him, or to punish him for his offense, then you should realize that that monk is betraying the Buddha’s teaching. But if he ousts the destroyer of the Law, reproaches him, or punishes him, then he is my disciple and a true voice-hearer.”
Although I may not be a “good monk,” I certainly do not want to be accused of “betraying the Buddha’s teaching.” Therefore, in order to avoid such charges, I have cited a few general principles and given a rough explanation of the matter.
Earlier, in the Gennin era (1224– ), petitions to the throne were submitted time and again by the two temples of Enryaku-ji and Kofuku-ji. And as a result, an imperial command and a letter of instruction from the shogunate were handed down, ordering that the woodblocks used in printing Honen’s Nembutsu Chosen above All be confiscated and brought to the Great Lecture Hall of Enryaku-ji. There they were burned in order to repay the debt owed to the Buddhas of the three existences. In addition, orders were given that the menials at Kanjin-in Shrine should dig up and destroy Honen’s grave. Then, Honen’s disciples Ryukan, Shoko, Jokaku, Sassho, and others were condemned by the imperial court to exile in distant regions and were never pardoned.
In view of these facts, how can you say that no one has submitted a complaint to the authorities concerning these matters?
The guest, continuing to speak in a mild manner, replied: One could hardly say that Honen is the only one who disparages sutras and speaks ill of other priests [since you do the same thing yourself ]. However, it is true that he takes the 637Mahayana scriptures in 2 ,883 volumes, along with all the Buddhas and bodhisattvas and the deities of this world, and urges people to “discard, close, ignore, and abandon” them. There is no doubt that these four in
junctions are his very words; the meaning of the passage is quite clear. But you keep harping on this one little “flaw in the jewel” and severely slandering him for it. I do not know whether he spoke out of delusion or out of enlightenment. Between you and Honen, I cannot tell which is wise and which is foolish, or determine whose assertions are right and whose are wrong.
However, you assert that all the recent disasters are to be traced to Nembutsu Chosen above All, speaking quite volubly on that point and elaborating on the meaning of your assertion. Now surely the peace of the world and the stability of the nation are sought by both ruler and subject and desired by all the inhabitants of the country. The nation achieves prosperity through the Buddhist Law, and the Law is proven worthy of reverence by the people who embrace it. If the nation is destroyed and the people are wiped out, then who will continue to pay reverence to the Buddhas? Who will continue to have faith in the Law? Therefore, one must first of all pray for the safety of the nation and then work to establish the Buddhist Law.44 Now if you know of any means whereby disasters can be prevented and troubles brought to an end, I would like to hear about it.
The host said: There is no doubt that I am the foolish one—I would never dare claim to be wise. However, I would just like to quote some passages from the scriptures and offer some brief thoughts. Concerning the means for insuring order in the nation, there are numerous passages in both Buddhist and non-Buddhist texts, and it would be difficult to cite them all here. Since taking up the study of Buddhism, however, I have frequently given thought to this matter, and it seems to me that restraining those who slander the Law and respecting the followers of the correct way will assure
